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Felton is a small, rural community
with a population of 216. It is, however, a vibrant community
concerned about the quality
of life of all its residents, from youth through seniors.
In 1994, a group of community people met to address a key concern
about the funding of youth activities.
For a number of years,
an annual summer community event had raised enough funds to
provide a variety of activities for
area youth:
summer swim instruction classes, softball/baseball leagues,
Halloween and Easter events, winter activities at nearby schools
and other
recreational programs. However, in three previous years, the
summer event had fizzled due to rainouts or sun-drenched “bakeouts”,
with the result, normal revenues were nonexistent, and the
community was hard-pressed to maintain the youth programs.
WCI,
working with the local civic leaders, interested citizens,
families, and businesses, started the Felton Area Community
Fund to address the funding needs of the youth programs.
However, it didn’t just focus solely on Felton. Rather,
it focuses on a sub-region that included Felton, Flowing, Hagen,
Morken,
and
Viking Townships. Further, it provided endowed funds for grant-making
to local programs, and a revolving loan fund to assist in the
development of businesses.
What has occurred since the start
of the fund? Here are some of the projects funded or assisted
by the Felton Area Community
Fund:
- The creation of an annual academic scholarship awarded
to a graduating high school student from the Felton area.
- Replace
worn carpeting in a community meeting area.
- Improved lighting
in the Community Building for the benefit of seniors and
other groups using the facility.
- Established a computer center for
use by people of all ages.
- Funded improvements to parks and
local recreational areas.
- Started and fund a local community
newsletter The Felton Times, on community information
and news.
- Sewing machines for the Felton Senior Center.
- Support for Felton
Field Days-Fireworks.
- Playground equipment and picnic table
for the city park.
- Uniforms and equipment for the Fire Department
and Rescue squad.
- Heating stove for the
Senior Citizen Center.
- Support and youth training in a variety
of skill areas.
- Support of recreational
activities.
As you can see, the fund has, and is,
going well beyond its original design,
to address
community
needs, and
to maintain
and improve
the quality of life for citizens living
in the area.
This is a sample of what
a WCI component fund, that is established to help meet
community needs, can
do. It
is successful for
two key reasons: 1) the support of
charitable donors, and 2) the
participation of dedicated volunteers
to serve
on the fund’s advisory committee. |
